1 missing Hemet teen is dead, 1 is on the run

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of two Hemet teenagers last month was partially solved Friday when police said one had been shot to death and the other was on the run but that his parents had been arrested for allegedly helping cover up the killing.

Jose Campos and Adrian Rios, both 17, were last seen at Campos’ parents’ rented house sometime around Nov. 15. When Rios didn’t return home that night, his parents contacted police, who found a shallow grave and burned body parts in the backyard at the rental home. The remains later were identified as those of Rios.

On Thursday, police arrested Campos’ mother and stepfather, Maria and Jose Seym, on suspicion of being an accessory to murder in Rios’ death.

“We believe he was murdered prior to being placed in the fire pit and burned,” Hemet Police Chief Richard Dana said at a news conference Friday. He said Rios had been shot.

Arrest warrants were issued for Campos, Rene Lopez-Fregozo, 21, and Felicia Sharpe, 17, in connection with the slaying. All are considered armed and dangerous, police said. One other person is being sought, but was not identified.

“This was an evil crime and these people are a danger on the streets,” said Police Capt. Tony Margis.

Rios was last seen at the Seyms’ house on Bluejay Way when he went to watch a San Diego Chargers football game. That night, neighbors reported smelling a bonfire burning in the backyard. On Nov. 17, Hemet police executed a search warrant on the property and found charred human remains.

Dana said that Campos’ parents had come home while the fire was still burning. There were six other people at the house at the time, including the three who are being sought.

Sharpe was initially reported missing last month along with Campos and Rios. But she turned up Nov. 25 with her mother and spoke to police. She is now on the run -- possibly with Campos, who is her boyfriend.

Margis said police had no grounds to hold Sharpe after talking to her.

“When she was interviewed, it was still early in the investigation,” he said. “Now we have new information that indicates that she wasn’t being truthful in her statements.”

No motive has been offered for the crime, although authorities are investigating whether it was gang-related.

Police and those who knew the teens described them all as friends. Rios was a student at Hemet Community School, a facility for those expelled from other schools.

On the day of the teens’ disappearance, a neighbor reported encountering an agitated Rios and Campos staggering through his yard after someone had pepper-sprayed them. Police said they had found no connection between that incident and the killing.

Dana said the Seyms remain in jail.

“They are talking to us,” he said. “I’m not sure they are telling the truth, but they are talking.”

david.kelly@latimes.com